Human’s are creatures of habits. We like our routines, we like our life stabilized to a certain extent and when unexpected surprises hit, we tend to get thrown off a little bit- regardless of whether it’s a good or bad surprise.

Growing up in an environment of changes, friends coming and going, saying goodbye as quickly as saying hello – it teaches you to embrace change and be excited about the next adventure for yourself and your friends.

Since leaving Hong Kong after high school 7 years ago, I’ve lived in multiple cities, met new friends everywhere I’ve gone, and enjoyed the city as much as I could. Regardless of how much fun I had in those respective places, I was always ready and excited to move on to the next adventure….. until now.

To my surprise, life’s adventures brought me here to Austin over a year ago and I’ve fallen in love with this magical city. Some may not call Austin a city (to be fair, it’s not fair to call Austin a city after having lived in Hong Kong), however, it’s also not a small town. At least not personality wise.

Austin is the first place I’ve lived in where I haven’t yet felt the need on a regular basis to “leave” on vacation. Microadventures are every where every night in Austin. It certainly does not allow me anytime to rest or sleep, but it certainly fills my soul with absolute joy.

Unfortunately, due to uncontrollable circumstances, I will be saying goodbye temporarily to Austin in just a few weeks. In the last month, I’ve experienced a wide spectrum of feelings from gratitude, to sadness, to excitement for what’s to come. Every moment out and about in this city, I feel the magic of the music and the constant excitement of the people. The next two weeks are going to be hard. I know it’s not goodbye but I also know the Austin chapter of my life experienced the last two months will never be re-lived.

Some are surprised and some are impressed at my calmness during this uncertainty. What they don’t see is the fear I embrace (or try my hardest to embrace) at every moment of change. Fear creates discomfort. Discomfort pushes us to create and get better.

What am I going to create (aside from this blog post)? How am I going to push myself to get better in the next few months? What adventures is this next chapter of my life going to bring?

Those are all questions that I am constantly asking myself, and day by day brainstorming more and more answers. Regardless of whether you are going through a drastic change in your life of now, these questions, if seeped into your daily thoughts, will push you to overcome your fears, to explore the world, our cities, our cultures, to connect with each and every individual we have the opportunity to meet, and to create in such a way that provides joy and impacts the community around us.

Austin, the next two weeks may be sleepless and tiresome, but I’m going to make the most of every single moment from swimming holes, to live music, to community events. The goal is to have so much fun that when the day comes to leave, I’ll be even sadder that I am today.